Indian equities were trading on a flat mote this afternoon amid pessimistic signals across Asian stocks.

The 30-scrip index Sensex, which belled the day at 17,978.37, was trading 29.91 points down at 17,947.32 as against its last closure at 17,977.23.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broad-based Nifty stood at 5,393.1, down 0.12% as compared to its last closure at 5,399.35.

Broader markets indices also remained in the green terrain, with the BSE midcap index 0.14% higher and the BSE smallcap index 0.2% up.

The stocks performing well included consumer durables, metals, auto and FMCG, whereas realty shares witnessed some selling activity.

The overall breadth remained positive as it saw 1,431 progressions as against 1,356 stocks declinations.

Other major Asian bourses remained weak with dealers choosing to book profits after US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke pointed out that the economic viewpoint was unusually unsure.

The Japanese Nikkei closed the day after shedding 0.62% at 9,220.88.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng remained weak 0.05% at 20,477.29, whereas the South Korean Kospi closed the shop after registering a loss of 0.76% at 1,735.53.

The Chinese Shanghai Composite index was up by 1.07% at 2,562.41.